Advanced Course on Evaluating Social Programs for Researchers in MENA and Africa

Timeline:
to
Location:
The American University in Cairo

Partners:

ESP Presenters in Hall

Overview and Objectives

J-PAL MENA at AUC, The Gender, Growth and Labour Markets in Low-Income Countries Program G²LM|LIC (which is led by the Institute of Labor Economics and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office), and UNICEF Egypt are co-hosting an advanced edition of the Evaluating Social Programs course from 11 to 13 November at The American University in Cairo. 

The Advanced Course on Evaluating Social Programs aims to strengthen the evidence generation ecosystem among local and regional researchers in MENA and African countries. It will gather 42 participants from across Egypt, Lebanon, Algeria, Kenya and Nigeria, to provide a platform for knowledge sharing, networking, and research presentations. 

The course is tailored for postgraduate students, faculty members, and early-career researchers from governmental and non-governmental organizations, equipping them with essential skills for conducting robust impact evaluations using various methodologies. The curriculum will cover the design and analysis of randomized controlled trials and non-experimental evaluation methods, along with hands-on exercises using STATA.

Participants will:

  • Gain a comprehensive understanding of impact evaluation methodologies.
  • Develop the ability to design and implement impact evaluations.
  • Learn to analyze and interpret impact evaluation data.
  • Enhance their skills in reporting and communicating evaluation findings.

Key Sessions:

  • Research in Economics: This lecture particularly aims at helping researchers, postgraduate students, faculty members, and early career researchers learn the skills required for finding research questions, grant writing, presenting in workshops and conferences, and publishing at international levels.

  • Primer on Impact Evaluations: Sets the foundation for days two and three; covers theory of change, what evaluations are, why we evaluate, and the various methods that we can use to evaluate the impact of social programs. 

  • The Potential of Qualitative Methods in Impact Evaluations: This session will provide participants with a deeper understanding of how to better combine methods in evaluation (including impact evaluations) in order to capture more effectively “why” and “how” policies and programs perform well or not. In this vein, the session will focus on child-focused evaluation methods and processes, borrowed from the presenter’s direct practice on the ground.

  • Difference-in-Differences: Covers motivation and intuition, graphical illustration and formalization, difference-in-differences with regressions, practical advice and sensitivity analysis. 

  • Regression-Discontinuity Design: Covers motivation and intuition, graphical illustration, estimation (sharp and fuzzy RDD), and robustness checks. 

  • Academic Poster Sessions: 13 participants will present their research by displaying posters summarizing their work; attendees are encouraged to move around and engage in informal discussions with the researchers in small groups.

  • How and Why To Randomize: This lecture focuses on the principles of randomization in research. Topics include determining when and how to randomize in experimental design. Participants explore various randomization techniques, their implications for implementation and data analysis, and case studies that illustrate these concepts. The session also includes Stata exercises to provide hands-on experience with implementing randomization strategies in research.
  • Sample Size and Power: Participants are introduced to the concept of statistical power and its importance in research design. The session provides guidance on calculating statistical power under a range of experimental designs and using these results to determine appropriate sample sizes for studies, helping researchers effectively detect meaningful effects. Through examples and interactive practice, participants gain the skills to design studies with adequate power for reliable results.
  • Analyzing Data from an Experiment: Participants learn how to use Stata to analyze data from randomized experiments and interpret results. Participants address non-compliance by estimating Intention to Treat (ITT) and Local Average Treatment Effects (LATE) and understand their implications for causal inference. Through practical examples and case studies, attendees gain the skills needed to effectively interpret experimental data and draw meaningful conclusions from their analyses.

Speakers and Lecturers

Executive Director of J-PAL MENA at AUC and Associate Professor at AUC’s School of Business

Deputy Programme Director G²LM|LIC, Scientific Manager and Senior Research Associate at IZA

Professor of Economics at University College Dublin and IZA

 

Acting Deputy Representative, UNICEF Egypt

Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Vermont, Research Fellow at IZA, and J-PAL Invited Researcher

Social Development Adviser at Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Senior Evaluation Specialist, Evaluation Office, UNICEF HQ

Programme Director G²LM|LIC, J-PAL Affiliate, Sir Anthony Atkinson Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics, an honorary foreign member of the American Economic Association, and a fellow of the British Academy, the Econometric Society, CEPR, BREAD and IZA